A coming-of -age novel featuring three generations of witches in t he 1960s, this whimsical yet heartwarming debut explores the importance of family and the joys and heartbreak of discovering who you truly are.

WHAT WE SACRIFICE FOR MAGIC
by Andrea Jo DeWerd
Crooked Lane, September 2024

It’s 1968, and the Watry-Ridder family is feared and respected in equal measure. The local farmers seek out their water charms and the teenagers their love spells. The family’s charms and spells have long served the town, passed down through generations of witches descending from the Black Forest.

Eldest daughter Elisabeth has just graduated high school?she is expected to hone her supernatural abilities so that she can help her grandmother, the indomitable Madga. She’s also expected to marry her high school sweetheart, and live the rest of her life in the small town of Friedrich, Minnesota. But all she can ask is why her? Why is her path set in stone?

She soon discovers that magic isn’t the only thing inherited in her family. That magic also comes with a great price- and a big family secret. The more she digs, the more questions she has and the less she trusts the grandmother she thought she knew. Who is Elisabeth without her family? She must ultimately decide what she’s willing to sacrifice for her family, for their secrets and their magic, or risk it all to pave her own way. A touching look at family and coming into one’s own, WHAT WE SACRIFICE FOR MAGIC is perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman and Louisa Morgan.

Andrea Jo DeWerd is a writer, speaker, and the founder of the future of agency LLC, a book marketing and publishing consulting agency. Andrea received her M.S. in Publishing from New York University and B.A. in English from the George Washington University. Born and raised in Minnesota, Andrea now lives and writes in Brooklyn, NY. WHAT WE SACRIFICE FOR MAGIC is her first novel.